LimorE

So, Sunday was the Super Bowl. (yay, saints)  Though I won’t pretend I really watched the game all that much.  I was actually updating my site, iSpotaStory.com (shameless plug, I know) as the commercials were aired.  (yeah, life of a startup founder is awesome  :))

Anyway – before the game started I was hanging out at the party, and realized…wait, I’m the only girl here.  And no, I’m not dating one of the guys, which I guess becomes ‘ok’ , they’re all just good guy friends.   I wanted to be there.  And though that’s not necessarily an anomaly for me, I realized that in my life,  that’s always been the case.

I grew up with 2 older brothers.  Their friends were always over, and I would play Mortal Kombat II on our Sega Genesis with them . (yea, old school I know… btw, I always played Mileena, knew all the fatalities, and kicked their ass.  –  I had to play the cool girl)  But it molded me into the woman I became.

I’ve always been able to walk into a room full of guys and be totally comfortable (probably more  so than a room full of girls honestly).  To me, its the same thing as walking down the stairs in my parent’s house and seeing 15 guys playing video games, plopping onto the couch in between all of them and saying “Hey, what about me? I want to play!”

They always let me.  Of course they thought I would just be an easy win, but they soon realized I was able to hold my own.

In college, I lived in a frat house.  Yeah, I was in a sorority, but for some reason, living with 7 guys was more comfortable for me.

So, where am I going with this?  This past weekend, I read an article on TechCrunch about Silicon Valley having a gender problem.  http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/07/silicon-valley-you%E2%80%99ve-got-a-gender-problem-and-some-of-your-vc%E2%80%99s-still-live-in-the-past/

Now, I’m not here to comment on whether they do or they don’t, b/c I really don’t know the Silicon Valley or their VC scene (as much as I would like to…I’m still figuring out the Silicon Alley scene)   but it made me realize that even in my career choice…founding a start-up, I am one of the only girls in the arena.

Now, I’m sure there are plenty of female founders and co-founders, and I actually know two right here in NYC.  (We used to share an office space) but why do women not choose this field?

I know there are girls that get technology, but maybe girls are less likely to take risks?  I don’t have an answer as to why. Sure, I know many girls that just don’t get it, and Facebook is about as technological as they’re getting (for now).  And no knock on them, I know nothing about designers, so it evens out.

But ladies…where are you?

The NYC tech scene is booming, and a new site, NYC30.com, just launched to feature some of the startups.  (Here’s the article about me…http://nyc30.com/ispotastory-looks-to-curate-the-best-from-the-web/ – another shameless plug)

But what does this mean to female founders out there?  The tech world needs you!  I can’t pretend I’ve been ‘Ms. Woman Power’, but I do know that being the only girl at the super bowl party is fun, and so this is an open call for all of you smart, innovative, and tech savvy ladies out there.

Sure, it’s not easy working long hours, and I almost don’t know what to say to  some girls  who complain their bosses made them work till 8 when I voluntarily make myself work till 2am some nights, but though the life of an entrepreneur isn’t necessarily all glamorous, the rewards and hard work really feel great.

So, does Silicon Valley have a gender problem?  I don’t know.  Maybe, I have a gender problem, ever since I can remember I had an entourage of guys around me when I went out.  (I vaguely remember a stranger on the street commenting on that when I was 14 years old.)

But this is an open invitation to the party.  Yea, I’m taking it upon myself to invite you.  The guys are terrible at the guest list, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t invited.

What do you say?